Morrinsville in 1993 remembered at Waikato Museum

Jo-Anne
Griffin, centre-right, and her attendant Victoria Dauphin
have a last-minute cigarette at the Bride of the Year
competition.

The heart of rural communities
as well as the atmosphere, lifestyles, and culture of early
1990s New Zealand are celebrated in a nostalgic exhibition
at Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato.

25 Years
Beyond Thames Street: A Week in Morrinsville, 1993 opens
this Friday 18 January and runs through until 10 March
2019.

The free exhibition features 50 photographs taken in
1993 in Morrinsville, with the title referring to the
Waikato town’s main street.

The photography team of Phil
Crawford and Fraser Munro set out to record the day-to-day
life of a rural community, with the town centre as the focal
point.

The photos were first exhibited in Morrinsville in
1993 then toured to galleries in Auckland, Manawatuu,
Taupoo, Hastings, and Gisborne, and also published in a book
titled Beyond Thames Street: Images of Small Town New
Zealand by Mr Crawford and Mr Munro.

Waikato Museum
exhibited the photographs in 1994/95, and was gifted the
framed prints in 2001.

“Life in a rural town is far more
down to earth than some city dwellers experience,” wrote
Mr Crawford for the original exhibition. “People meet
socially as well as in shops and businesses. Many have lived
in the town all their lives, possibly in the same
house.”

Waikato Museum Director Cherie Meecham says the
exhibition shows an element of history removed from the
major events of an era and which can’t be easily retraced
online.

A quick Google search reveals the highlights of
1993 being the birth of swimming sensation Sophie Pascoe and
future NBA star Steven Adams. UB40’s I Can’t Help
Falling in Love with You was the number-one selling
single and Jane Campion’s award-winning film The
Piano was released. The National Party and Prime
Minister Jim Bolger were re-elected as the Government.
Closer to home, the Waikato rugby team ended Auckland’s
eight-year Ranfurly Shield reign and beat the touring
British and Irish Lions. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern lived
in Morrinsville at the time but isn’t among the people
photographed.

“However, the character of everyday life
can’t be researched or evoked as simply,” says Ms
Meecham. “These photos featuring scenes from the town’s
sports clubs, dance nights, workplaces, amenities and inside
people’s homes offer a glimpse into ‘real’ life of the
time.”

Reflecting on the 25 years since the photos
were taken, Mr Crawford says: “In 1993 we thought the
project would be representative of towns throughout the
country. While we captured themes and fashions that were
common, I now recognise that it is uniquely about
Morrinsville due to the people we met and photographed.
Seeing them in these images again is like meeting up with
old friends.”

Mr Crawford and Mr Munro will be joined by
Waikato Museum Curator Leafa Wilson for a free talk about
the photos in the exhibition from 11am – 12pm on Saturday
2 February.

The final 15 copies of Beyond Thames
Street: Images of Small Town New Zealand will be on sale
during the
exhibition.

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